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Author Archives: Dana Moos

To me, the best cocktails are those that, after the first sip, leave me wondering “what’s in this?“! This one is simply the juice from one lime, tequila, a very small splash of Mezcal and St. Germain. This cocktail is absolutely delicious! Just a hint of the smoky Mezcal to offset the floral, sweet St. Germain. It’s perfect! Sorry, no pretty garnish, I used my last lime 😉

This was the main course I cooked for my brunch class at the Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School. I guest chef there about 20 times per year (brunch and dinner) and this was one of the summer menu items I came up with. I’m always looking for creative ways to do poached eggs. This was a huge hit, can you see why? They’re really simple ingredients (providing you can find green tomatoes) and a remoulade sauce which is made from about 15 ingredients! It WILL be in my next cookbook….stay tuned! My favorite poached eggs in my cookbook are over sweet potato hash browns with a caramelized onion and poblano pepper cream sauce – sweet and heat, over the poached eggs, the combination is just delicious!

Added the beet greens and sautéed for about 5-7 minutes. Then added flour to make a roux…cooked that about 3 minutes, then added some milk and heavy cream, stirred until well combined, added some shredded swiss, Parmesan and white cheddar. Seasoned with salt, pepper, red chile flakes and nutmeg. And topped with Panko. Into the 375 degree oven until bubbly!

And the finished product along side roasted beets and grilled ancho chile coffee rubbed steak!

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I first braised the octopus (head and beak removed) in white wine, lemon, peppercorns, garlic, olive oil, salt and water (just enough to cover) for just about 60 minutes. When you can easily slice through a leg, it’s done. It will become tough if you cook it too long. I then let the legs cool and coated them in olive oil, garlic and lemon and then grilled until charred, about 15 minutes. They’re delicious warm or cold. If done right, the legs have the texture similar to lobster tail, just not as stringy. I LOVE this dish!

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Every once in a while I come across a recipe that contains way too much of the bad stuff to eat on a regular basis, but moderation twists my arm. This is one of those recipes. It’s an adaptation of a soup I made a while back as part of a Mustard Madness event by Uncle Jim’s Mustards. If you haven’t tried them, they are the best. I just finished my last jar, time to reorder. And free delivery is nice because I don’t have a retailer near me that carries it.

This is an adaptation of their Corn Chowder with a Kick! I’ve added smoked chicken, left out some of the butter and cheese and tweaked the ingredients a bit. This is a hearty, rich soup with sweet and spicy and texture, all wrapped up in one. Comfort in a bowl!

2 large chicken breasts, cooked, diced (I used smoked chicken which was the best!)

red bell pepper, diced, for garnish

In large pot, melt butter, add onions and bacon and sauté over medium high heat for about 10 minutes. Stir in corn and chiles and cook another few minutes. Add flour and stir for 2 minutes. Then add broth, milk and half and half and stir until thickened, about 10 minutes. Lower heat to medium low. Add diced chicken, Uncle Jim’s mustard and cheese, stir and cover until fully melted and soup is hot, another 15 minutes. Garnish with diced red pepper. Enjoy!

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Blackened seasoned shrimp and swordfish bites are dredged in flour and fried crispy! Top tortillas (flour or corn) with the shrimp or swordfish, mango red onion salsa and Sriracha lime aioli and THIS becomes one of my favorite ways to eat seafood! I served mine with fresh avocado and a warm mixture of black beans, corn, sliced red onion and jalapeño with a touch of olive oil.

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Sometimes I just want to make soup. And eat soup. And I love to try and work with what I have on hand. Today was a perfect example of that. I had an eggplant I wanted to use which was the inspiration for my soup. So I thought garlic, sausage, onion, mushroom, lemon. Maybe I was thinking Greek. So here’s what I did:

I cubed the eggplant and soaked in salt water for about 15 minutes, then drained. I sautéed the onions (diced) and celery (sliced) for about 10 minutes in olive oil. Then I added the mushrooms and sausage and cooked on medium for about 10 minutes. Then I added the eggplant and cooked, covered, about 15 minutes. I added the garbanzo beans, stock, chile flakes, salt, vinegar, lemon and thyme and let simmer over medium low heat, covered, for about 45 minutes. Serve with some warm crusty bread. Bon Appetit!

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Slice a large ripe tomato. Top the slices with ricotta and fresh torn basil leaves. Shave Parmesan over the top and then drizzle with a good quality olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Worth noting: if you can’t get fresh ricotta, I love Galbani brand or the extra creamy version by Sorrento.